In addition to treatment of anxiety, 5-HT.sub.1A partial agonists are now being examined for their antidepressant potential. The therapeutic potential of the 5-HT.sub.1A agents in the treatment of multi-CNS disorders was recently extended to the development of compounds such as umespirone as antipsychotic-anxiolytic (Inter. Congress on Behavioral Pharmacology of 5-HT, page 49, Amsterdam, Netherland, 1987). Umespirone is described in German Patent No. 3529872.3 which discloses a series of 3-butyl-9,9-dimethyl diazabicycloalkylpiperazine tetranones as CNS agents.
Fozard et al., Br. J. Pharmacol. 90, 273P (1987) discloses 8-[4-(1,4-benzodioxan-2-ylmethylamino)butyl]-8-azaspiro[4,5]decane-7,9-dio ne as a stereospecific ligand for 5-HT.sub.1A receptors which differs from the present invention in the nature of the substituents attached to the 1,4-benzodioxan-2-ylmethylamino side chain.
The preparation of arylsulfonopiperazines have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,644 as anti-inflammatory agents. The compounds in the present invention differ from the above-mentioned patent in the utility and nature of the substituents connecting the aryl ring to the piperazine side chain.
A series of piperazinylalkoxyindones were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,580 as anxiolytics. The compounds in the present invention are devoid of an oxygen bridging the piperazine side chain to the aryl ring when the piperazine ring is substituted with an aryl or pyridyl moiety. The above-mentioned feature is obligatory in U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,580.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,302 discloses a series of polycyclic imides containing a 1,4-benzodioxan-2-yl-methylamino side chain as psychotropic agents. The present invention is devoid of the polycyclic imide moiety.